Neural communication
What is the name of the tiny gap between two neurons?
Synapse
What is an excitatory neurotransmitter?
A chemical messenger that increases the likelihood of the receiving neuron firing an action potential.
Which neurotransmitter is particularly associated with Parkinson's disease?
Dopamine
Name the four brain structures in the limbic system that are involved in emotion.
Amygdala, thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus
What does standard deviation tell us about a data set?
Variation
What are the small sacs in the axon terminal buttons that contain neurotransmitters called?
Synaptic vesicles
Give an example of an excitatory neurotransmitter and an inhibitory neurotransmitter.
Inhibitory - GABA
Which neurotransmitter is associated with memory and learning and is impaired in Alzheimer's disease?
Acetylcholine
What is the role of the thalamus in emotion?
Relays sensory information and directs it to the regions of the brain to process.
A researcher finds a correlation coefficient of r=0.82. Describe the strength and direction of the relationship.
Strong positive correlation
Describe an action potential?
A change in the electrical potential of a neuron that allows a neuron to transmit a signal.
Explain the lock-and-key process involved in neurotransmitter binding.
Neurotransmitters bind to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron that have a compatible molecular structure and electrical charge. Only neurotransmitters that fit the receptor can bind to it and influence the receiving neuron.
Identify two symptoms of Parkinson's disease and two symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Parkinson's: slowness of movement, rigid or involuntary movements, difficulty starting or stopping movement, difficulty sleeping, pain, depression or reduced facial expressions.
Alzheimer's: anterograde or retrograde amnesia, confusion, disordered thinking or depression.
What is the role of the hippocampus in emotion?
Encodes and retrieves memories, providing context from past experiences to help interpret emotional situations.
A researcher obtains a p-value of 0.03. Is the result statistically significant?
Yes because 0.03 is less than 0.05
Describe the process of synaptic transmission.
An action potential triggers the release of neurotransmitters from synaptic vesicles in the presynaptic neuron. The neurotransmitters cross the synapse and bind to compatible receptors on the postsynaptic neuron, exciting or inhibiting it.
Neurotransmitters are released into a synapse, but they cannot bind to the receptors on the postsynaptic neuron. Explain why this might happen.
The neurotransmitters may not have a compatible molecular structure or electrical charge to bind to those receptors.
Can be caused by genetic or environmental factors. Occurs when too little or too much of a neurotransmitter is produced, it’s broken down too quickly, or it’s reabsorbed too quickly.
What is the role of the prefrontal cortex in emotion?
Receives information from the limbic system, evaluates the meaning and consequences of a situation, and helps regulate emotional responses and guide appropriate behaviour.
A researcher concludes there is no significant effect when an effect actually exists. What type of error has occurred?
A Type II error (false negative).